When the kids were little, I was one of those weird moms that let the kids play with their food. Wyatt's grandma was a bit appalled when he smeared pureed beets around on his highchair tray or munched the kitty kibble from Smokey's and Bandit's bowl.. Years later, Moriah dropped eggs on the kitchen tile and I watched her daub the yolks around before cleaning them up. My niece and her friend, Sara, still talk about watching Sawyer and Moriah learn to catapult grapes with a spoon and knife during dinner. Where has all of this experimenting led? The kids are still trying new things -- this week they investigated what happens when you put Peeps in the microwave!
I also think exploring with food has made them comfortable around food and willing to encounter new experiences, culinary or not. Both Moriah and Sawyer enjoy eating calamari and trying unusual treats from a dim sum menu at a very authentic Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. Moriah wasn't hesitant at all about trekking to New Zealand and Australia with total strangers last year. She tried traditional food (kangaroo does not taste like chicken) and lived with roommates with whom she had little in common (and sometimes didn't like so much). Sawyer is trying his hand in the kitchen more and more. I love watching him find new recipes and cook them. He is also excited to be traveling on his own more this year (another school trip to Disney, school trip to Washington, DC and a youth group mission trip to New Orleans.)
I am not going to claim that letting them shoot grapes and peas around the kitchen has made them adventurous, but I do think it shows that it is okay to try new things even though some of them need to be "cleaned up." (High-fiving with spray whipped topping on your hand will spatter quite a long way!) They are learning that life is sometimes messy and mistakes need to be fixed. I am proud of them.
This week's recipe:
Apple-Mustard Chicken
Boneless skinnless chicken breasts
Marinade of --
1 c apple juice
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
2 TB honey
2 TB yellow mustard
1 tsp tarragon
chopped shallots
fresh ground pepper
Mix all marinade ingredients until well blended. Marinate chicken 2 hours in the refrigerator. Grill.
I served with mashed sweet potatoes (I almost melted a Peep on top just for my investigators) and a mixed salad.
